The premises of W Leng & Sons on Bishopton Lane in Stockton. c1985. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
The premises of W Leng & Sons on Bishopton Lane in Stockton. c1985.
Christopher Rock, I remember Bruce Leng I believe at Holy Trinity School, he then went on to Barnard Castle School and became a pal of my friend Keith Dixon who also attended Barnard Castle School. Please pass on my regards, alas Keith Dixon passed away some years ago in the Bahama”s while on holiday. Norman Kidd.
Earnest Leng was my Grandfather. Both he and two of his brothers (Norman & Stanley) ran the business until the early 70s. Earnest”s son Bruce took over the business until it was sold some 10/12 years later. The business moved from Bishopton Lane in the late 70″s. I believe the business was started in the late 1800s by my great Grandfather. They used to make leather water buckets for the Fire Brigade. From the 1950s the main business was the wholesale of shoes to retailers. Earnest”s third brother Harold was not involved in the business, he was an engineer. Earnest had one son (Bruce) and two daughters Dorothy & Nancy. Dorothy better known as Dobby was my mother. She married my father Peter Rock in 1952. Sadley all of the above excepting Bruce have died. The end of an era!!
Lengs or was it Laings? Can”t recall. It was however the essential place for all school boys to visit in the early 70″s to buy a bag of “Seggs” which were steel segments with 3 built in nails which we all hammered into the soles of our leather oxford brogue shoes so we could be cool and walk along the road click click click. Playing football in them in the school yard of Richard Hind or the old tennis courts at the front of Lustrum Hall in both cases using a tennis ball rather than a football (because we were not allowed a football) was challenging to say the least. Another dimension to the sliding tackle! When I say hammer seggs into the soles of our shoes I mean like every square inch of the sole and heal was covered! Didn”y work terribly well on DM”s (Doctor Martens aka AirWair) though as some less than bright chaps in the lower forms sussed out to their cost and deflated boots/egos.
The premises to the left of Laings used to be a firm called Budgen & Hare and the alleyway to the far right used to be a sauce manufacturing company.Having travelled from Maxwells corner far right and well out of the picture, and passed what used to be Marks Hide and Skin factory and the smell of rotting animal skins. The sauce factory was a welcome aroma by comparison. Further left and out of site was Allison Street junction with Bishopton Lane.